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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum
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335i Reliability and mistake of buying it.
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12-22-2012, 08:23 PM | #89 |
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Exactly. Go late at night/early in the morning. We'd hit the road at around midnight and get past the grapevine well after 1 AM. Of course, this was back in the early 90s also so traffic may have been lighter. I averaged just over 100 mph from Torrance to the heart of Berkley, CA. This is with 2 gas stops b/c I was burning fuel at well under 10 mpg. Good times... stupid times... but still, Good Times!
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12-22-2012, 09:16 PM | #90 |
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Each to their own....
My 335 has been totally reliable as has my M3 and all of my BMWs before this with only one POS which I bought that way and knew I would work on it for fun. Asian reliability has been no better than the American cars I have owned, Toy Avalon virtue of reliability? Not at all. I am an engineer and pilot and from years of doing all my own maintenance I know that German cars to include VW-Audi-MB-BMW-Porsche all require periodic maintenance. That is something that should be accepted and understood before buying one. Very much sounds like you got a lemon. No car should have these issues. You have read when many of us have zero issues with the 335 as it should be. Not sure what to tell you but selling it would at this point not work. But keeping it even with a warranty doesn't sound good either. I don't see the 335 as high maintenance at all compared to my other BMWs or having an issue with reliability but as I mentioned I don't have any issues with mine and it was the 2nd ED E93 I picked up in Munich MAR 2007... |
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12-22-2012, 11:41 PM | #91 |
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Yeah I tend to agree with OP. I love a lot of things about my car, but I have also had a lot of issues with my car that fall into the category of "just shouldn't happen". Its like they designed some of the parts/systems 90% of the way and then didn't bother to test them.
Also, my current BMW SA is a good guy, but over the years my experience with BMW service departments has been pretty hit or miss. And yeah I know I can go to different dealers and SA's or CA's but I shouldn't have to. A brand like BMW should have a more consistent and better managed service experience. Last edited by asus389; 12-23-2012 at 12:10 AM.. |
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12-23-2012, 02:11 AM | #92 | |
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I have to disagree with u GS fsport or not it is never going to be better then a e90 that has no electric steering crap and is a lot lighter then the heavy weight GS......let's keep it in perspective every new owner thinks there new ride is gods gift...........the GS f sport is not even in the same class as 335i in handling, accceleration or steering feel nor driving dynamics due to over weight issues. Please compare apples to apples GS is more of a 5er competitor and not 3. On a track or street the 3er will be leaps and bounds ahead of it. I am sorry but are way off comparing 3er to heavy weight GS.
As far as reliability goes let's not talk Toyota as they have one of the largest recalls on their brand new cars. Compared to anybody else right now Quote:
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nickname"BAD 3",MHD E85 tune,RennArt catback non-resonated exhaust,VRSF Downpipes, VRSF 7"FMIC,VRSF stock side inlets,SSQV BOV,ECS CP,M-performance alcantara steering,retrofit M3 paddle shifters,Alpina B3 tranny flash,AFE power seal CAI,LED angels,ST Coilovers,M3 upper/lower control arms,E93 M3 Front Swaybar ,235/35/19x9 ,275/30/19x9.5. M sport bumpers, CF diffuser. When in doubt..flat out.
Last edited by Kayani_1; 12-23-2012 at 11:35 AM.. |
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12-23-2012, 12:22 PM | #93 | |
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Same thing happened to the VCG on my E39, just not a soon. I changed it out myself when I did my VANOS seals. The side nearest the exhaust looses elasticity and hardens like hard plastic. It stops sealing and eventually cracks. Just had my VCG done under factory warranty and I fully expect to have to do it again before 100k miles. Not DIY friendly because of the direct injection. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. The key with long-term BMW ownership is proactive preventative maintenance. The factory recommended maintenance schedule should really be called the "absolute minimum maintenance schedule". For example, I have to change my transmission and differential fluids soon (manual trans). BMW claims "lifetime fill" and even puts that on a sticker on the transmission. The dealer that services my car did not have the fluid because "we never sell any, if we sell a transmission it comes pre-filled". Never mind that the M3, which has the same 6MT transmission, requires fluid change every 30k mi. My choice is to buy a 5L jug for $160 and have 3L sitting around for 2 years, or find a dealer that will sell me 2L of the stuff. Time consuming and PITA but it has to be done.
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For Sale: 2009 335i 6MT (E92/N54), Sport / M-Technic / no iDrive / Black Sapphire / Black Dakota Leather, ZCW, 6FL, PDC, 19" VMR VB3, Pilot Super Sport, M3 control arms + tension links (fr) S. California |
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12-23-2012, 12:49 PM | #94 | |
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I would first quote another member of this forum who's a trained tech: “There are people here that continually bash BMW for doing certain things wrong and not doing them the way they think it should be. [….] Why the hell would you buy one and drive one then if you guys hate them so much? Go buy a Civic or something. Ohh wait, that will break too. There is no "perfect" car that will not have problems. While BMW may have issues [ ..] every other manufacturer out there does something along the line with their vehicles that is "out of the norm" that someone is not going to like and bitch about. Or they will have common problems, just like BMW does. For instance. If you own a 2.5 Nissan Altima. They are NOTORIOUS for having front catalytic converter issues. The cat material breaks on the top portion of the cat. It then gets sucked into the engine causing massive cylinder wall damage, oil consumption, which then leads to a new engine! Ohh BTW if you are out of the emissions warranty YOU'RE F@$%^T ! Then you have to foot the bill for a new engine. I’d much rather pay for a battery registration then an engine! Ohh BTW this is on a $20,000 car too!” Nissan copied "the[ BMW] technology" and use much, much cheaper parts. Yes it’s a 20k car, but it still looks feels like a 20k car. Is it more reliable? Maybe in some aspects. I worked for Nissan for over 6 years. They may have not had HPFP failures, but they had their share of major issues as well. Like I mentioned, the 2.5 motor issue which has been going on for years. When they came out with the CVT transmission every CVT car basically got a transmission. I’d rather have my car in limp mode and driveable than be completely stranded, cars wouldn't move at all! We had them blowing up @ less than 1000 miles. We stocked 5-6 CVT transmission at a time and probably did 5-10 per week! We stocked 2.5 engines and were doing upwards of 5 per week. Muranos and Rogues were getting transfer case after transfer case. They couldn't keep them in the car from blowing. Let’s not talk about the MASSIVE sub frame recall they had on the later year Maximas/Altimas. They recalled 400,000 vehicles! Every single car had to get a complete rear sub frame put in them, because the bushings would separate from the subframe, this was on cars with 10,000 miles. So let’s not talk about BMWs not being reliable. Like I said, being in the field, you see things, other people just like to bitch and assume and slam the manufacturer for doing things wrong. They only see the bad. Yes BMW has massive HPFP problems. Does it make their cars unreliable? Not any more unreliable than any other manufacturer out there I can tell you that. " I would only add to the above the following: there is a common problem with a big chunk of those complaining on this forum about BMW being unreliable, they purchased a car outside their financial comfort zone/ taking a high risk ... some cannot afford the basic minimal maintenance ( I've seen people complaining about the cost of registering a battery or not being able to afford an RFT tire!!). When reality catches up some show they are bad losers (or...worse...). Others continue to live in denial blaming BMW for the situation they got into. If you cannot afford a BMW tire or a BMW battery or a BMW water pump then you cannot afford this car. Stay away from it. Leave it to those who can. Buying a pre-owned BMW is pure Russian roulette, saves you a ton of money if you're lucky (= the previous owner took good care of the car). Unfortunately the typical BMW owner in NA rarely falls into this category. Last edited by RMG; 12-23-2012 at 04:22 PM.. |
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12-23-2012, 07:11 PM | #95 | |
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With the '07 335i they changed out both turbos when it had 40k miles in the tune of $4k per turbo not including labor (warranty). I did not notice anything wrong with the car but the SA said there was a metallic noise and wanted to look further. Glad he found out before I did. He also did something with the wastegate. Later at 60k miles the fuel pump went out. Again under warranty. I also had a couple ABS/wheel sensors that went bad. One time they could not fix a bad brake sensor after 3 attempts. I then looked at it myself and realized one of the wires were cut. I replaced that and it fixed everything. Not sure how that cable got cut or how BMW missed it. At close to 100k miles they found multiple leaks near the turbos, engine, and gasket. Fortunately the extended warranty covered that. Probably $3-4k repair. Hence my recommendation that you take you BMW to a mechanic to have it thoroughly checked out prior to warranty expiration. Having said all this. The 335i and the 330ci were one of my all time favorite cars. I still love them even though they gave me such headaches. It is sad that they were not built to last a long time. With the new Lexus I'm excited at that possibility. |
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12-23-2012, 07:38 PM | #96 | |
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The main thing I wanted to share is my personal ownership and reliability issues with the two BMW I've owned. Interestingly I've owned a C5 Z06 and a C6 Corvette. Both of them had better reliability than the BMW, by a mile. The same goes with an '06 Acura TL, an '05 Infiniti G35, and multiple Hondas. And yes I admit that all manufactures have their problems. But statistically you'll have a worse chance with a BMW. Those with trouble free BMWs, consider yourself very lucky. |
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12-23-2012, 08:10 PM | #97 | |
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-Head Gasket -Filter manifold gasket -HPFP -Pulleys twice ( same pulleys) -Accessories Belt -Windshield washer fluid pump -Power steering pump -AC pump And yes it was recieving the reg maintenance and I know this because it was in the system at the same BMW I am getting the warranty work completed at. Toyota actually sends out recalls for everything, big or small. Thats why they have so many recalls. They actually fix the parts or problems that a few of the cars the produce have. Now we all know how long BMW took to just admit the wastegate and HPFP issue. |
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12-24-2012, 01:13 AM | #98 | |
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I am glad that we agree that BMW E90 3er has superior driving dynamics compared to Lexus GS Fsport.
As far as reliability is concerned I am not saying that BMW is perfect by any means. I think they can surely improve the reliability of their cars. Specially Some of the things like mechatronic sleeve failure in most 4.4 liter V8 engines and oil leaks due to gasket failures, timming and valve cover leaks etc...etc.....should be improved upon with better designs for greater reliability. The oil change maintenance intervals should be reduced to at least 5K miles in order for greater reliability and same thing with tranny fluids etc....they should be with more reasonable time frame to improve durability of their product. However, on the other side I believe all manufacturers have their own reliability issue from Toyota, and Nissan to Honda....etc.....no one is perfect. I have had my share of issues with BMW but maybe I am super proactive and get most things taken care of under warranty. I have always taken BMW's extended 100K mile warranty which is beneficial in long run. I have to also give credit to my BMW SA and Tech they have always taken care of my car and issues. I know them well and it helps with the process. So far BMW has stood by all the issues my cars have ever had under warranty. As far as luxury cars go all of them are expensive to maintain after warranty expires no matter what brand. If you talk exotic cars then the cost to maintain is just insane. However, the driving pleasure is also insane. Quote:
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nickname"BAD 3",MHD E85 tune,RennArt catback non-resonated exhaust,VRSF Downpipes, VRSF 7"FMIC,VRSF stock side inlets,SSQV BOV,ECS CP,M-performance alcantara steering,retrofit M3 paddle shifters,Alpina B3 tranny flash,AFE power seal CAI,LED angels,ST Coilovers,M3 upper/lower control arms,E93 M3 Front Swaybar ,235/35/19x9 ,275/30/19x9.5. M sport bumpers, CF diffuser. When in doubt..flat out.
Last edited by Kayani_1; 02-02-2013 at 02:42 AM.. |
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12-24-2012, 01:40 AM | #99 |
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I have owned multiple BMW's and maintained them so I know that BMW does send you warranty recalls much like Toyota does. By the way I have had plenty of my share of Toyota's in family too and they go through their own reliability issues. Only difference is that a $20K car issues are much cheaper to fix then a $50K car.
Toyota's new cars have just failed brand new safety test crashes, they have had lawsuits filed against them for run away cars. They have had stranded their customers many times until lawsuit was filed for them to take corrective measure. Such was the case with their chronic sludge issues with 3.0 liter /3.3 liter engines that were leaving folks with nearly 50% of their cars price in engine repairs. Here is a link of Toyota's issues with engines. http://toyotasludge.com/resources Bottom line is No car manufacturer is perfect. Some times they take corrective measures themselves and some time we as consumers have to force them to take action. I am not on BMW side nor against Toyota. I would actually like all car manufacturers to offer greater and longer warranty to prove that their car is durable and will last long time. In which case BMW has superior warranty (4yr/50K) then Toyota (3yr/36K). Also, for what it is worth the original first owner of a new BMW cars has no worries as all maintenance and warranty is usually taken care of for first 4 years. According to research most new luxury car owners keep a car for 4-5 yrs and put on avg. any where between 10K-12K miels on their cars per year. Based on that BMW as a manufacturer is great for new car owners and not so great for pre-owned owners unless you go with their CPO extended warranty etc. It is for a reason that BMW is one of the fastest growing luxury car maker with regards to overall sales. The fact of the matter is these forums are full of majority of those people who wants to drive a 50K car for 28K after 4yrs and then complain about lack of BMW reliability. That is like marrying a hooker and then complaining about getting sexual diseases......j/k To be honest as of right now only manufacture to offer longest warranty and standing behind their vehicle are the two Korean brands with (5yr/60K comprehensive and (10yr/100K limited powertrain). So I think if reliability is ones main concern then one should show their support by giving their money to manufacturers that stand behind their vehicles with greater comprehensive warranty and maintenance. As of right now the Koreans have made huge gains and are also among the fastest growing car company. All thanks to super long warranty, lower prices, and nicer looking designs. I believe 10 yrs ago I would have not thought of ever owning a Korean car. However, after driving them back to back with Japanese car their is not much give in quality nor feel. The only difference is that Korean offer cheaper car with more features and better styled designs that evoke thoughts of German luxury cars thanks to them stealing the Audi designer. Anyways, I would love to see BMW offer 100K warranty like KIA. However, I am not holding my breath for it....
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nickname"BAD 3",MHD E85 tune,RennArt catback non-resonated exhaust,VRSF Downpipes, VRSF 7"FMIC,VRSF stock side inlets,SSQV BOV,ECS CP,M-performance alcantara steering,retrofit M3 paddle shifters,Alpina B3 tranny flash,AFE power seal CAI,LED angels,ST Coilovers,M3 upper/lower control arms,E93 M3 Front Swaybar ,235/35/19x9 ,275/30/19x9.5. M sport bumpers, CF diffuser. When in doubt..flat out.
Last edited by Kayani_1; 12-24-2012 at 01:56 AM.. |
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12-24-2012, 07:04 AM | #100 |
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Maybe American cars are more reliable then if people are saying the Asian cars have a lot of problems here. Because I've owned American for 15 years. I had a 1991 and 1994 firebird with over 100k on each one and I drove them for years only having to replace an alternator and a radiator. Those are "high performance" vehicles that people are talking like the 335i is also. Even if you look at American car forums, peoples focus isn't on how to make the car more reliable, it's how to make it faster.
My second car is a 2010 gmc sierra right now. I have over 40k miles on it and it hasn't had one problem.I didn't buy the e90 335i thinking I was buying a Ferrari, and I don't even see how people compare it like that. |
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12-24-2012, 07:45 AM | #101 | |
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If you want reliability you go with proven tech. If you want top of the line performance you go with the latest tech, but understand that it hasn't had the extensive testing that 6 years of real world use gives you. |
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12-24-2012, 01:28 PM | #102 | |
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12-24-2012, 01:59 PM | #103 | |
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12-24-2012, 06:56 PM | #104 | |
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In the luxury car segment, BMW has the worst POWERTRAIN warranty: 4 years or 50k miles, same as Audi and Mercedes Benz. LEXUS, Acura, and Cadillac has the best POWERTRAIN warranty in the luxury segment, 6 YEARS or 70K miles. Heck even Infiniti (5/70k) offer better warranty than BMW. With regard to maintenance for the first 4 years, for most new cars all you need is oil changes, brake fluids, wipers, and a couple filters. Nothing to write home about. I'm planning on keeping my Lexus longer than 5 years hence I passed on the BMW this time around. Sucks since the BMW would have been much cheaper for me. Hopefully next time BMW can figure out how to build more reliable cars. I would love to jump back in one again. But for now, no thank you. Last edited by M4LF; 12-26-2012 at 12:10 AM.. |
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12-25-2012, 06:12 AM | #105 | |
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My '07 335 has been what I've expected. I've had it for 2 years, and I've spent around $4-5k so far in maintenance (tranny sleeve leak, oil leak, all fluids, brakes/rotors, spark plugs, tires, bent rim).
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Last edited by N54Love; 12-25-2012 at 06:18 AM.. |
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01-09-2013, 04:37 PM | #108 | |
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with all due respect, you are greatly mistaken. After owning german, american, japanese cars I can tell you it not about orgin of automotive that matter in long term but the overall "Zen" the car brings... The good moments will always negate the bad ones but constant costly repairs moments really disrupt the peace of the mind. Overall, the point is I think a good car satisfies the mind and THE heart..
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Last edited by omerfar23; 01-21-2013 at 03:30 PM.. |
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01-09-2013, 05:08 PM | #109 |
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I do agree the BMW reliability is behind the curve, but not by much. I think people tend to complain more about BMW because repair costs is much higher than most other brands I can think of other than exotics.
What my other concern is, how is BMW not loosing a shit ton of money due to unreliable cars, with a warranty up to 50k and the problems people are reporting it seems as though the company should be doing terrible. Heck most people here even go as far as get the CPO or extended warranty for their cars. If it really is a big epidemic as people on this forum say it is then BMW would seriously be doing bad business and cutting into profits. Its not cheap to replace parts, pay of technicians, provide fleet of loaners, etc. With that said I am kinda worried about my 335i after reading this thread. I was actually leaning towards the 328i because of better reliability but lets see what happens, current plan is to drive it from 60k to 120k will report what happens. |
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01-09-2013, 05:27 PM | #110 |
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1 out of 500 335i shouldn't have passed their QC... I never had issues while owning a 335i for 3 years.. some people though had issues within the first month of ownership...
I guess you should just consider yourself the unluckiest person to be chosen 1 out of 500 |
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